Jiu-Jitsu From the Smaller Person Perspective

Last week after class, I rolled with a visiting white belt (4 stripe). I let him play his game for a bit and after getting accidentally hit in the head by either his hand, foot, or other body part, I finally had to tell him to chill out because I didn’t want to get unnecessarily injured. After time stopped, he apologized for going too hard and hitting me in the face. He asked to roll again and I obliged, but this time said we would, “flow roll”… but of course the exact same thing happened. I got hit in the face a couple more times on accident and he’d freak out at any move I’d try to make. Finally after class, he admitted that he has never rolled with someone smaller (or lighter than him) before and that he is used to being smashed by everyone.

Being that I have always been the smallest and lightest person in class, I know a thing or two about adversity in BJJ. I’ve been smashed by guys a foot or more taller and up to 80 lbs heavier at any given time from my white to purple belt. However, despite it being spirit crushing at times and made me question my skill level, I had to stop using my size as an excuse. Much like how a bigger person would never apologize for their size.

It’s like the saying goes, “It not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Since I couldn’t beat bigger guys with strength, I had to adapt. I started to play smarter, not harder.  This is the beauty of jiu-jitsu. It was made for a small person to utilize their opponent’s leverage against them.

The same can be said for speed and quickness. This is not to say that all big people move slower, but if you can be quicker than your larger and stronger opponent, the better off you are. If not, you will get smashed and that is a fact.

And of course, last but not least, technique conquers all. Believe it or not, if you miss one small key detail of a technique, it means the difference between sweeping a 200 lb guy off of you versus getting your guard passed by a 200 lb guy. Believe in the technique, don’t half ass it, don’t force it, and you will see the results. It may not always work with a 200 lb person who has you in side control, but if you focus on getting the tech down (down to the last small key detail), you’ll give yourself a better percentage of hitting it the next time.

So before you use size as an excuse for weakness, just remember: “Adversity is the dust that polishes the diamond.” Overcome adversity and adapt to improve your game, as anything is possible in jiu-jitsu. Oss!